Abstract Objective Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) with a fenestrated device (FEVAR) allows an extension of the proximal sealing zone above the renal arteries to an adequate, healthier ...segment of the aorta. This feature makes FEVAR an option to treat patients with a diseased aortic neck or type Ia endoleak after EVAR. The aim of this investigation was to present a single-center experience with FEVAR for patients with an abdominal aortic endograft in situ compared with primary FEVAR. Methods A prospectively held database on FEVAR patients treated with the fenestrated Anaconda device (Vascutek/Terumo, Inchinnan, Scotland, United Kingdom) at our institution was screened for individuals who had previously undergone EVAR. Results Between April 1, 2013, and July 31, 2016, 94 fenestrated Anaconda devices were implanted at our institution. Twelve patients with prior EVAR were treated for pathology of the proximal neck: type I endoleak (n = 7), for stent migration with aneurysm progression but no visible endoleak (n = 2), and progressive aortic disease at the level of the visceral segment (n = 3). When redo cases and primary FEVARs were compared, primary technical success rates were 58.3% and 87.8% ( P = .02) and primary functional success rates were 91.7% and 95.1%, respectively ( P = .62). Perioperative rate of major deployment-related (14.6% and 16.7%) and systemic complications (8.5% and 8.3%) as well as 30-day mortality (6.1% and 0%; P = .5) were comparable between groups. After an average follow-up interval of 10 months (range, 0-43 months), no late occlusions of connecting stents were observed. The late reintervention rates were 11.0% and 16.7%, respectively ( P = .57). Conclusions The risk of a failure to cannulate one or more visceral arteries through the respective fenestrations was increased in patients who had previously undergone EVAR. This is most likely caused by increased friction between the fenestrated endograft and the failing graft in situ, which may impair the adaption of the unsupported Anaconda device to the aortic wall. As a consequence, fenestrations may not line up perfectly at the respective openings of the visceral or renal arteries, and folding of the fabric may be increased, making cannulation of the fenestrations more difficult.
A crucial step in designing fenestrated stent grafts for treatment of complex aortic abdominal aneurysms is the accurate positioning of the fenestrations. The deployment of a fenestrated stent graft ...prototype in a patient-specific rigid aortic model can be used for design verification in vitro, but is time and human resources consuming. Numerical simulation (NS) of fenestrated stent graft deployment using the finite element analysis has recently been developed; the aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of fenestration positioning by NS and in vitro.
All consecutive cases of complex aortic abdominal aneurysm treated with the Fenestrated Anaconda (Terumo Aortic) in six European centers were included in a prospective, observational study. To compare fenestration positioning, the distance from the center of the fenestration to the proximal end of the stent graft (L) and the angular distance from the 0° position (C) were measured and compared between in vitro testing (L1, C1) and NS (L2, C2). The primary hypothesis was that ΔL (|L2 – L1|) and ΔC (|C2 – C1|) would be 2.5 or less mm in more than 80% of the cases. The duration of both processes was also compared.
Between May 2018 and January 2019, 50 patients with complex aortic abdominal aneurysms received a fenestrated stent graft with a total of 176 fenestrations. The ΔL and ΔC was 2.5 mm or less for 173 (98%) and 174 (99%) fenestrations, respectively. The NS process duration was significantly shorter than the in vitro (2.1 days range, 1.0-5.2 days vs 20.6 days range, 9-82 days; P < .001).
Positioning of fenestrations using NS is as accurate as in vitro and could significantly decrease delivery time of fenestrated stent grafts.
Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of gender on the long-term outcome after iliac artery stenting and to assess gender-specific differences of the influence of risk ...factors on treatment success and patency rates. Methods Between January 2000 and December 2006, 404 percutaneous transluminal angioplasties with primary stent deployment for symptomatic iliac artery occlusive disease were performed at our center. These included 128 interventions in women and 276 interventions in men. Results Whereas average age was significantly higher (65.9 ± 12.9 years; P = .007) and arterial hypertension more frequent (60.9% vs 49.3%; P = .032) in women, hyperuricemia (7.0% vs 14.1%; P = .047) and a positive smoking status (61.7% vs 74.3%; P = .014) were more frequently observed in men. Fontaine stage was more advanced (stages III and IV) in women than in men ( P = .028; P < .001). Technical success was 97.7% in women and 99.3% in men. Overall complication rate was higher in women compared with men ( P = .002), mostly caused by access site hematomas (4.7% vs 0.4%) and pseudoaneurysms (8.6% vs 2.5%). Patients were followed up for 45.0 ± 33.3 months. Restenosis developed in 16.8% of cases in women and in 14.6% of cases in men and was treated in 73.7% by an endovascular approach. Primary patency rates at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years were 90.3%, 77.2%, 60.2%, and 46.4% in women and 89.9%, 71.5%, 63.6%, and 59.7% in men, respectively ( P = .524; log-rank, .406). Secondary patency rates were 97.2%, 91%, 81.5%, and 70.3% in women and 97.1%, 89.1%, 82.6%, and 78% in men, respectively ( P = .959; log-rank, .003). Multivariate analysis identified lower age as the only independent risk factor for recurrent disease in both groups. Age-defined subgroup analysis showed a restenosis/reocclusion rate of 23.9% in men and 22.1% in women older than 63.5 years ( P = .861) but 32.1% in men and 49.1% in women younger than that ( P = .034). Conclusions Our data suggest that although women are older and present with a more advanced stage of peripheral arterial occlusive disease, endovascular therapy is equally effective irrespective of gender. Surprisingly, the subgroup of young female patients had a specifically poor outcome.
Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Thromboembolism, as a major cause of carotid artery-related stroke, can be caused by plaque rupture which is associated ...with neoangiogenesis within the carotid plaque. Aim: We sought to investigate a possible correlation between angiogenesis-related factors and preoperative neurological manifestations in patients with internal carotid artery stenosis, for a better understanding of thromboembolism in internal carotid artery stenosis-related stroke. Methods: This study included 54 patients (asymptomatic, n = 20 and symptomatic, n = 34) undergoing carotid endarterectomy for high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis. In the retrieved carotid plaques, angiogenesis-related factors (vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF, hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha HIF-1α, and Clusterin) were measured by immunohistochemistry and quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: We demonstrated the expression of VEGF, HIF-1α, and Clusterin by endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells in the carotid plaques. Noteworthy, mRNA VEGF levels were .7-fold higher in symptomatic patients (P = .017) compared to asymptomatic patients. In contrast, mRNA Clusterin levels were 1.8-fold lower (P = .021). Levels of mRNA HIF-1α were 1.5-fold higher in asymptomatic patients, but no statistical significance was reached between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Our results show an association between VEGF and Clusterin and neurological symptoms of patients with high-grade carotid artery stenosis.
Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) frequently occur in autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases and correlate with a worse clinical outcome. In the present study, we evaluated the association between ...antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs), markers of inflammation, disease progression and the presence of an intra-aneurysmal thrombus in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients. APLs ELISAs were performed in frozen serum samples of 96 consecutive AAA patients and 48 healthy controls yielding positive test results in 13 patients (13.5%) and 3 controls (6.3%; n.s.). Nine of the 13 aPL-positive AAA patients underwent a second antibody testing >12 weeks apart revealing a positive result in 6 cases. APL-positive patients had increased levels of inflammatory markers compared to aPL-negative patients. Disease progression was defined as an increase of the AAA diameter >0.5 cm/year measured by sonography. Follow-up was performed in 69 patients identifying 41 (59.4%) patients with progressive disease. Performing multipredictor logistic regression analysis adjusting for classical AAA risk factors as confounders, the presence of aPLs at baseline revealed an odds ratio of 9.4 (95% CI 1.0-86.8, p = 0.049) to predict AAA progression. Fifty-five patients underwent a computed tomography in addition to ultrasound assessment indicating intra-aneurysmal thrombus formation in 82.3%. Median thrombus volume was 46.7 cm3 (1.9-377.5). AAA diameter correlated with the size of the intra-aneurysmal thrombus (corrcoeff = 0.721, p<0.001), however neither the presence nor the size of the intra-aneurysmal thrombus were related to the presence of aPLs. In conclusion, the presence of aPLs is associated with elevated levels of inflammatory markers and is an independent predictor of progressive disease in AAA patients.
Covered endovascular repair of the paravisceral aorta Plimon, Markus, MD; Falkensammer, Jürgen, MD; Taher, Fadi, MD ...
Journal of vascular surgery cases and innovative techniques,
09/2017, Letnik:
3, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract Open aortic repair is considered the “gold standard” treatment for aortic occlusive disease. We present the case of an 83-year-old patient with refractory hypertension caused by paravisceral ...aortic stenosis including both renal arteries and the superior mesenteric artery. We planned an endovascular approach and treated the patient with parallel stent grafts in the paravisceral aorta. At 1.5 years after the operation, the patient was free of hypertensive episodes. Covered endovascular repair of the paravisceral aorta may be a valuable alternative to open aortic repair in patients unfit for open surgery. More research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of this technique.
Background Both deficiency and, according to recent reports, excess of vitamin B12 (B12) are associated with increased mortality. Thus, it is difficult to estimate the effect of B12 on overall ...survival, which also depends on folate (FA) in homocysteine lowering. This study aimed to assess FA and B12 serum concentrations associated with long-term survival of vascular surgery patients by means of a prognostic index (PI). Methods This single-center, prospective cohort study comprised 485 consecutive carotid surgery patients. B-vitamin baseline concentrations of B12 and FA were used to compute a PI for postoperative overall survival from January 2003 to January 2012 (mean observation period 102.3 months). Results Increasing B12 serum concentrations showed a nonlinear association with overall survival ( P = .033). A B vitamin-based PI significantly predicted overall (hazard ratio HR per standard deviation = 1.97, confidence interval CI 1.37-2.82; P < .001), cardiovascular (HR = 3.03, CI 1.78-5.14; P < .001), and stroke-free survival (HR = 2.20, CI 1.22-3.98; P = .009), and revealed that the highest adverse event-free survival was predicted by high FA (16.3 ± 12.9 ng/mL) but only moderate B12 (360.3 ± 156.0 pmol/L) baseline concentrations. Conclusions Prediction of increased long-term overall, cardiovascular, and stroke-free survival is based on high FA but only moderate B12 serum concentrations. Excessive B12 concentrations might harbor a potential harm and are no requisite for low homocysteine concentrations. The association between B vitamins and survival might serve either as a tool for risk stratification or, if causative, as effective therapy, if optimal dosing of B vitamins is provided and on-treatment concentrations, including homocysteine and renal functions, are closely monitored.
Several imaging modalities have been suggested for surveillance after fenestrated endovascular aortic repair in general and endoleak detection in specific. In the present project a coded ...excitation-based ultrasound (B-Flow) was investigated for endoleak detection after complex endovascular aortic repair.
Patients post complex endovascular aortic repair (FEVAR or T/FEVAR) undergoing follow-up appointments including ultrasonography of the aorta at a vascular and endovascular surgery outpatient center were included in the study. B-Flow was compared with computed tomography angiography (CTA), Duplex ultrasound (DUS), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) regarding agreement and reliability for endoleak detection and characterization.
In total, 47 follow-ups were included. They accumulated in a total of 149 imaging investigations. Endoleaks were discovered in 44.7% of B-Flow studies and a majority of these endoleaks were classified as type II. Agreement between B-Flow and other imaging modalities was good (>80.0%) in general. However, with B-Flow 6 and 2 endoleaks would have been missed compared with CEUS and CTA, respectively. Regarding endoleak classification, B-Flow had a strong agreement (94.5%) with CEUS in detected cases. Furthermore, in a limited subset analysis, imaging findings were externally validated using findings from angiography.
Ultrasonography allows for endoleak detection and characterization without an invasive procedure or the use of potentially nephrotoxic contrast medium and can reduce radiation exposure. While CEUS mitigates issues of radiation and nephrotoxicity it still requires the intravenous application of contrast enhancers. Ultrasound coded-excitation imaging such as B-Flow could therefore further simplify endoleak surveillance after fenestrated endovascular aortic repair.
We investigated the net myocardial release of creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CKMB), myoglobin, cardiac troponin T (cTnT), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and cardiac beta-type myosin heavy chain (beta-MHC) ...into the coronary circulation after cardioplegic cardiac arrest in humans. Cardiac markers were measured in paired arterial, central venous, and coronary sinus blood in 19 patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) before aortic cross-clamping and 1, 5, 10, and 20 min after aortic declamping. cTnT and cTnI were released into the coronary sinus in parallel to each other and almost simultaneously to myoglobin and CKMB within 20 min of reperfusion. In contrast, no beta-MHC was released in the same patients during the study period. The average soluble cTnT and cTnI pools in right atrial appendages of 11 patients with right atrial and right ventricular pressures within reference values were comparable and were approximately 8% of total myocardial troponin content. The soluble beta-MHC pool was <0.1% in all patients. Our results demonstrate the impact of the different intracellular compartmention of regulatory and contractile proteins on their early release from damaged myocardium.